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Baroness Thangam Debbonaire to Headline PLS Conference 2026 as Industry Leaders Address AI and Copyright

Key industry speakers from across publishing, rights and licensing to gather in London this July

PLS will bring together experts from across publishing, copyright and licensing at PLS Conference 2026, taking place at 1 Wimpole Street, London on Thursday 2 July.

This year’s Conference will examine the major challenges and opportunities shaping the industry, from AI licensing and permissions to rights strategy, copyright and the future value of content.

Now firmly established in the publishing calendar, the PLS Conference gives attendees practical insight they can apply in their day-to-day roles, while creating opportunities for discussion, networking and knowledge sharing across the industry.

The 2026 programme features speakers and contributors from organisations including the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), the Publishers Association, the Professional Publishers Association (PPA), the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and PLS, alongside a keynote address from Baroness Thangam Debbonaire.

Baroness Thangam Debbonaire comments: “As AI continues to transform the creative economy, ensuring that creators and publishers are properly recognised and protected will be critical. The publishing industry has a major role to play in shaping how innovation and copyright work together, and I’m delighted to be joining this year’s PLS Conference to discuss these issues with leaders from across publishing, rights and the wider creative industries. Bringing together expertise and perspectives from across the sector to shape policy and inform politicians is essential and urgent.”

Sessions throughout the day will explore the rapidly evolving AI licensing landscape, new developments in permissions and rights data, and the wider impact of copyright and licensing on publishers across books, journals and magazines.

Programme highlights include:

  • ALCS will provide a session explaining how they represent authors and will provide an author point of view on licensing and generative AI.
  • A joint panel from the CEOs of ALCS, CLA and PLS exploring the development and aims of the pioneering Generative AI Solution.
  • An expert overview of the growing AI licensing market and emerging demand for content licensing.
  • A session examining what permissions data reveals about publishing trends and rights activity in 2025–26.
  • Highlights from a PPA-commissioned report ‘Humans and Machines; the Everywhere Equation’, about how publishers can best navigate the impact of generative AI.
  • An ALPSP-chaired session discussing what publishers need to know about potential future changes to copyright policy, legislation and the litigation against AI developers taking place across the world.
  • A presentation from Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, winner of this year’s Independent Publishers Awards’ AI Award.
  • The return of the PLS Rights Panel discussing key developments across the rights and licensing landscape.

Alongside the conference sessions, attendees will have opportunities to connect with colleagues from across publishing and meet organisations exhibiting throughout the day, including

ALPSP, Book Industry Communication (BIC), the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), Bookaid International, CLA, IPG, the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI), EDItEUR​, NLA Media Access, the PPA, Publishers Association, RightsZone and the Stationers’ Company.

Tom West, Chief Executive of PLS, comments: “As the publishing industry continues to navigate rapid change, particularly around AI and copyright, the need for informed discussion and practical guidance has never been greater. The PLS Conference brings the industry together to share expertise, explore opportunities and help publishers make sense of a fast-moving landscape.”

Monisha Shah, Chair of PLS, adds: “The conversations taking place across publishing around AI, copyright and content licensing are some of the most important the industry has faced in recent years. Ensuring publishers of all sizes can engage with those discussions, understand the implications and help shape future approaches will be critical as the industry continues to evolve.”

Free registration for PLS Conference 2026 is now open!